Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 29 April 2019

"Your favourite kind of cake can't be birthday cake, that's like saying your favourite kind of cereal is breakfast cereal." 

Aziz Ansari

American actor

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Tuesday 23 April 2018

As we return to work after the Easter Weekend, consider this...

"Make a list of important things to do today. At the top of your list, put 'eat chocolate'. Now, you'll get at least one thing done today."

Gina Hayes

Manahatta

Deansgate, Manchester

Bringing a taste of New York to Deansgate, Manahatta is the latest cocktail bar and restaurant from Arc Inspirations. It’s a lively and atmospheric bar which taps into the trends of daytime drinking and all-day partying.

Arc Inspirations are the company behind Banyan Bar & Kitchen, which has more than a dozen branches all over the country. It has been a fixture in the Corn Exchange since the revamp of the old Triangle shopping centre and a sister restaurant has recently opened in Spinningfields.

Step inside and you’re transported to the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. It has the vibe of a late-night cocktail bar, even at one o’clock on a Sunday afternoon, with dimmed lights, silk hanging curtains, stylish booths and lounge seating.

It’s less of a restaurant, more of a cocktail bar which serves food. When I booked my table online, I had to specify that I wanted to be in the ‘Food Area’. It was, in fact, my second attempt. I originally attempted to book for a Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago, but my request was declined as they were fully booked, so it’s obviously very popular.

We were seated in a high, rectangular booth looking out across the bar, which meant we were able to soak up the atmosphere.

There’s an extensive drinks menu: cocktails, mocktails, gin, wine, larger, ales, beers, spirits, prosecco and champagne, with Happy Hour taking place every day from 4.00pm – 7.00pm.

Food wise, it’s a snacky menu, with brunch served until through the day until 4.00pm and the main menu available from 12.00 noon. It’s fairly standard American comfort food, probably better suited to lunchtime than evening. 

To start, I had Salt and Pepper Calamari, served with garlic aioli for dipping. The calamari was tasty and cooked well, but, despite the batter being crispy, I couldn’t detect much of a salt and pepper flavour. £7.50 is fairly standard for a seafood starter in the city centre, but for the portion it was perhaps a little steep.

Salt and Pepper Calamari

My main course was disappointing. I had a Pestorella wrap: buffalo mozzarella, grilled sweet peppers, tomatoes, pickled red onions and green pesto mayo folded up inside a piadina, which is a traditional Italian flatbread. The piadina was slightly chewy and tasted undercooked, but there was plenty of filling inside it and it made for a tasty bite. However, it could have been much better had it been served warm. Whilst mozzarella can be enjoyed cold perfectly well, the peppers and tomatoes were barely lukewarm. A warm wrap with gooey, melted mozzarella gluing it all together would been much better. The fries were disappointing: crispy but too thin, tasteless and not very well seasoned.

Pestorella Wrap

Manahatta serve up bubble waffles for dessert. I’ve seen these knocking around food stalls on Market Street. They’re what I like to think of as ‘instagrammable food’; they might look good on photos, but they’ve never really appealed to me. However, when I spied these being delivered to the table next to us, my eyes were green with food envy and my taste buds were salivating. Three different flavours are on offer: Berry Delight, Choc Delight and Banoffee, but all three contain chocolate, which is off the menu during Lent.  I’d definitely want to try one if I was to return, although my main course didn’t inspire me enough to tempt me back for a second go.

Sadly, there was a group of screeching ladies who had clearly been enjoying their Bottomless Brunch for several hours before we arrived. Their unnecessary, attention-seeking and downright selfish screams and shrieks bounced off the bare brick walls and left us unable to hear ourselves think, let alone have a conversation. It’s not ideal when you’re meeting friends for a catch-up and a leisurely lunch, is it?

Call me a bore, but this highlights everything that’s wrong with this Bottomless Brunch trend. For £26.95, you can enjoy a meal and as much alcohol as you can manage to guzzle. Encouraging people to drink themselves into oblivion with only an Eggs Benedict to soak it all up on a Sunday morning is, frankly, irresponsible. Given that you also have to pay a £5 upgrade for many of the food options, its expensive too.

Shrieking ladies aside, I enjoyed the ambience of Manahatta, but the food was nothing more than average.

They’re open all day for food and cocktails, with brunch and express lunch menus.

Website: https://arcinspirations.com/manahatta-deansgate/menu/food

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 15 April 2019

"Easter is the only time of the year when it's perfectly safe to put all your eggs in one basket."

Anon

Quote of the Week - Week commencing Monday 8 April 2019

"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad." 

Brian O'Driscoll

Rugby player

Quote for the Week - Week commencing Monday 1 April 2019

"Nothing in this world is as it seems. Except, possibly, porridge."

Stephen Fry